Sir Laurence Olivier directed, played and produced the romantic comedy film "The Prince and the Showgirl" (1957) with Marilyn Monroe in a leading role.
he spoke a lot of his own personal insecurities. ms monroe blew him off the screen in this movie. she produced the thing so was in effect his boss and then hired him to direct. she had him coming and going. real vs. manufactured talent. watch the movie.
Он был очень плох ,кривляния ,крик ,выпученные глаза,а Мерилин была как всегда выше всяких похвал,и она была искренняя как прочем и всегда и играла саму себя ,великолепна,а его слова ,актёрская зависть ,мы ,зрители не увидели её проблемы,это и есть талант ,Вива Мерилин!!!!
For someone with Marilyn’s psychological & emotional issues, the Method was the worst thing for her. Olivier was right in saying that she was wonderful at just being herself.
@@christiansoto1367 Yes, and you can only imagine how that made her feel. He also said she didn't want to act. She just wanted to show herself. Well, you saw it in this video.
@@martinawolf9605 I love your comment! Every time I hear him say she doesn't want to act, I wonder who he is talking about, because it isn't Marilyn Monroe!
Why are so people so offended by him? I’ve been a Marilyn fan for 20 years and I understand everything he’s talking about. Marilyn was incredible but she was a total mess and that’s all he’s saying.
@@sandrahn she had to live up to the persona of Marilyn Monroe. It did get to be too much. After Marrying Arthur Miller she had wanted to be known as a more serious actress and just not the icon Marilyn Monroe.
Larry was always a big ego in the theater and film was a whole different aspect , film presence, the glow that the camera gave to certain people. He was handsome but stage was his masterpiece. It is very different from doing a film. Vivien had wonderful film presence and so did Marilyn. People were mesmerized by them. Larry seemed to be jealous of this. He was also jealous of first wife Jill Esmonds success in early 30s in Hollywood before he got roles.
This man had truckloads of talent, he transformed himself into the hundreds of charaters he portrayed, all of them so different from that simple, humble person we are looking at here, what a privilege to enjoy seeing him here as he really was !!!
He was a cutie all right! Lol Too bad he's not of my generation! Btw, I have a daughter who shares Marilyn's birthday, and these two women are very much alike in some ways! So, Olivier said Marilyn was four hours late for rehearsal - I immediately remembered a family reunion which my daughter was 4 hours late arriving! 😳
@@NancyAyers-ek7eo I'm 65, so learned to appreciate his talent since the 1970s, Thank God for movies, that catch lightning in a bottle (or in a DVD). Have been a musician/singer since my teens and my two daughters (ages 26 and 21) also love movies, one is a talented artist with a B.A. in Illustration and the other is pursuing a degree in Information (previously known as Librarian Sciences), she also sings and plays the ukulele but movies are what really connects me with them. Blessings to you and your family !
@@kimcantswim174 The precision. Many today would have said "I was looking forward to working with her madly", thus leaving doubt whether "madly" applied to "looking forward" or "working".
I love this story, I am a true Marilyn Monroe fan and I felt like I got a true inside story here from one of the greatest actors of all time. MM needed a strong circle of care, protection, encouragement. He is recognizing this.
@@l.w.paradis2108 What envy??? You don't even know me and you attribute things to me that I don't feel. I haven't the least bit of envy of Marilyn. She was a poor disturbed woman with enormous qualities of charm and sexiness. But her range as an actress was very narrow. That's all I was saying. Pple should let her go and find icons of greater nobility.
@@l.w.paradis2108 Not envy. Many of us don't like the fact that she made this stereotzpe of the brainless, but sexy blonde. Demeaning to women. Men love it. Anyway my point is that she was always the same. THat's not acting.
I am of the understanding that Monroe had Borderline Personality Disorder, which makes more sense given her moods, outbursts, and desperate attempts for attention. I like Monroe, mind you, but I am just throwing that out there. Bipolar disorder means having manic phases and depressed phases every few months to years. It isn't about rapidly changing moods.
Marilyn had no psychological disorders. She simply didn't want to make the film & said openly she wanted to retire & have a baby of her own. Exhaustion from years of being ruled by her producer, & not allowed to retire, she was a hero & we should be grateful she completed as many films as we are fortunate she did. Let her sleep in the peaceful hands of god. I feel sorry for her. We love you God, look after Marilyn please.xx
@@ronnigoodan8619she most certainly was NOT borderline. You armchair narcissistic wannabe psychology professors are horrid wastes of space in the fandom of Marilyn.
Sir Laurence Olivier talks about Marilyn Monroe! 198.24. spiritual hoo-ha!!! though you do MM a disservice. We still thinking of her as dumb dizzy moll...?
All these years because people idolized her, I assumed she was respectful of others. I had no idea she was so late and disrespectful to others. I am not keen on treating someone like a queen because they are beautiful.
@@bunjijumper5345 It's a well known fact about her tardiness. and being all over the place mentally. She was on drugs and couldn't sleep. i'm not justifying her but explaining.
Olivier had been dealing with Vivian Leigh's mental illness for several years. Working with Marilyn probably somewhat reminded him of the struggles he had dealing with Leigh. Marilyn I believe always felt like she couldn't measure up to the other actors
A Man Has No Name - LO believed in speaking his mind. MM most definitely wasn't happy. Some people say men used her and others say she brought a lot of unhappiness on herself when she didn't need to. There was the time when MM apparently said to JFK she wanted to be America's first lady and he replied....your not first lady material Marilyn. Ouch. Obviously a man who believed in speaking his mind. Then again, he was married and as lovely as Marilyn was, the late president wasn't going to leave his wife for her or any of the many other beautiful women he had one night stands or brief affairs with. No doubt his brother, (Robert) had the same attitude.
Really? The innuendo is as thick as I've ever heard, British tabloid-style. They have a technique whereby they limit disagreement by making it appear as though only an Inferior Person would think to disagree.
I miss people like him, A true British gentleman,a fantastic and honest account ,spoken with a true love and dignity for her,both still to this day incredible in what they did
RIP and long live Sir Laurence Olivier (May 22, 1907 - July 11, 1989), aged 82 And RIP and long live Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 - August 4, 1962), aged 36 You both will always be remembered as legends.
@@claresmith9261 bc you're American. There's a hostility to the British that runs throughout this thread. That's OK. The Brits can't stand Americans. Churchill said it was two nations separated by the same language. I lived in both America and travelled a lot to England. I see both sides.
Based on the comments I would have thought Olivier was much nastier than he actually is in the video. He says Marilyn was chronically late, had difficulty remembering her lines, and was happiest posing for stills. Didn’t everyone who worked with her say that? I love Marilyn Monroe for her beauty and talent, but she sounds like a nightmare with whom to make a movie. Isn’t that essentially what Olivier was saying?
Yes that is what he is saying and I probably would have hated her if I had to sit around for 4 hours to run a scene. But people get all caught up in loving MM. I love her too but I can separate loving her and what she brought from being unprofessional.
@@rb1062 And so was Marylyn. Or is it that great looks never go out of style but Shakespearian actors do? In all seriousness I know what it is you're trying to say --- that it is a shame that these type of actors seem to no longer exist in modern times. This is true and it's because we as a society no longer put much of an emphasis on individual talent instead preferring the empty blockbuster spectacles we consume like junk food. Unfortunately, we can't expect that to change anytime soon. But we still have those actors of the past and the films they performed in. Yes, it was a different age, but we can still willingly partake of it whenever we want and be all the better for it. My 3 favorite Olivier films are *_Wuthering Heights_* (1939), *_Hamlet_*_ (1948)_ and *_Sleuth_* (1972) all great films, made even more so by this wonderful actor.
@@Hernal03 I agree with you 1000 %. We live in a greatly baser, shallower age. No patience for the great Shakespearean plays and actors. My favourite are Also Wuthering Heights where I fell head over heels in love with him, Hamlet and Richard III. I thought he was THE greatest actor I'd ever seen. Daniel Day-Lewis is now considered the greatest living actor.
Olivier was a gentleman and a fine director. This film, no matter what he felt about the whole experience, contains what I think is Marilyn's finest comedic performance.
We here in America don’t hire actors on talent, sir, we take traumatized kids from broken homes and stoke their inner turmoil so they can “channel” it in movies (and so they’re easier to control since they have seemingly no will of their own or maturity or ability to take care of themselves) until they’re driven so insane that they end up experiencing a tragic, early death which we can then further capitalize on and make up things about them after their death that they can’t defend themselves against.
It's not what he says, it's how sickeningly patronizing and dismissive he is. There isn't a iota of kindness in the voice behind the remarks. She isn't a person to him, she's a puppy that just had an accident on the capet!
that's the factory known as Hollywood...but there's nothing wrong with finding an outlet to express your pain in fact it can save your life...so long as it's primarily for your benefit...
Really? The innuendo is as thick as I've ever heard, British tabloid-style --- as thick, and nearly as ugly. They have a technique whereby they limit disagreement by making it appear as though only an Inferior Person would dare to disagree. I see it works on a lot of people. (I spent too much time in Paris to fall for it. In other words, I know what directness and candor actually sounds like.) 😂 Seriously, though, how could you miss it? _Imagine him assessing YOU in the same vein._ Now what do you think?
someone said she kept people waiting because she had anxiety attacks. we all have anxiety but you don't keep coworkers waiting for 4 hours. I think there was anger in her that she didn't know how to deal with so it came out passive aggressively. It is a form of projection of your own anger to others. you act in a way that would naturally anger others then its they who are angry not you. it is a immature defense mechanism and one that was a part of her personality in my opinion. I agree with some people who think method acting and psychoanalysis was harmful to her. The first rule of psychoanalysis is that you are careful about who you take on in analysis. If a personality is too fragile they are not a good candidate. It will do more harm than good. Defense mechanisms have a purpose and some people are not strong enough to examine and challenge them. I think her relationship with strasberg was a manipulative and controlling one as evidenced by him being the main beneficiary of her will. His main interest was himself. if he had truly been wise and benevolent he should have seen that she was a fragile personality and not pushed her to the rigors of psychoanalysis. I wish she would not have delved into method acting. She was great at singing and dancing and comedy. It saddens me when great comediennes discount their comedic work by "moving up" to drama. great comedy is no less important than great drama. And in the end neither is important at all except in how they uplift us.
Narcissism and jealousy. I think the issue here is that she stole the film and every scene she was in, and he can't understand why. So bitchy. Marilyn was the greater star and always will be. But really, what a lack of class from Larry. So disappointing.
It's fascinating to read comments from people who never met her - and compare them to those of a person who actually knew her and worked with her, day after day, on a film set.
probably because other people who actually knew and worked with her day after day, on a film set Like Sybil Thorndike contradict him. here's an interview if you're actually interested. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dVX3PLBfAM4.html
You didn’t have to meet her to hear the stories of her issues. It’s common knowledge that she was very unprofessional and made people wait for her on set. Also that many times she had bouts of anxiety that played into that. But it is interesting to hear the depths of read on that from someone who personally went through it.
@@bst6791 What a lovely response! Speaking as an English person I think there's nothing quite like an English man's voice especially when speaking so kindly of MM. A very generous man in thought & deed. May they both RIP Xx🌷⚘
Not even daring to put my self in any way to judge his oratory skills, no way, but being a teacher, lecturer, a teacher trainer and professional presenter - these are my observations on Olivier being interviewed and not acting skills. Oh yes, not one err or durr, sat open mouthed thinking what to say, checking what they should say as oppose they know is the truth, pausing a long time between sentences, incredibly nervous, having to act like a little kid to get a laugh, fidgeting, touching their face many times and so much more. Oh yes, he may have been a 'lovey' of those times but he could talk so well, with amazing confidence, humour, humility, eloquence, think and talk at the same time, every sentence was part of a story that draws the listener in, wanting to know more. No way do we have people on TV or the radio even with only 5% of his conversational skills and I doubt we ever will again.
@@jug3435 Talking about her as if she was stupid and only aspired to be intellectual because of Arthur Miller and not because she herself was intelligent...and then admitting that other directors got better performances out of her. HEY, LARRY, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE THEY RESPECTED HER.
There is a audio interview done after she got fired from Something’s go to give. Maybe the interview the final magazine article was based on that came out after she died. That guy made some great observations as well.
I love this kind of interview,raw interview ,no sugar coating and we also learn about how real Marilyn was like. She was funny , emotional, temperamental,gorgeous, late for work and smart , i don't know why some people get offended when few people close to her talk about the real Marilyn behind those closed door .It is rather enlightened to know about how she lived her life with the people close to her so carefree .
He's biased and trashing her while she's not there to defend herself. He neglected to state that he had been yelling at her during the production and that is why she missed work. In truth, he probably felt diminished by her light and her abilities, therefore, is now belittling her now she is not there to defend herself. That makes him a coward. In actuality, she won several Golden Globe Awards for her acting and was paid more money for her movies after this film.
@@The000reddog It was not a good movie and that fault lies with LO. He demeaned her and was no doubt jealous of her fame. Why she agreed to have him direct is a good question. Maybe it was a condition of his appearing in the film. That ogre Miller destroyed the most precious parts of Marilyn. He was not a good husband and was really just a leech. Marilyn was the bread winner. Miller was a usedtawas.
@@jerrylee8261 I think you're right, why else would he demean her by aggressively yelling at her while they were working together and bad-mouthing her afterward? I also agree with your statement about Miller.
And yet Marilyn completely stole the picture from him. In their film you can’t take your eyes off of Marilyn. She gave one of the best performances of her career.
Billy Wilder on making Some Like It Hot with Monroe: "I have discussed this with my doctor and my psychiatrist and they tell me I'm too old and too rich to go through this again." Wilder also admitted: "My Aunt Minnie would always be punctual and never hold up production, but who would pay to see my Aunt Minnie?"[28] He also stated that Monroe played her part wonderfully. Years later, Wilder noted "I think there are more books on Marilyn Monroe than there are on World War 2, and there's a great similarity."[30]
I think he is right about her. She was troubled and trying to do something she was not really interested in doing. Other than modeling, she just did the very best she could acting. She did a credible job and deserves respect.
Olivier was great but I find him a little demeaning towards Marilyn, like he's some great intellectual and she had some silly ideas in her 'little head'.
Back when people were well read, well spoken and well mannered. We will emerge from this hole we’ve dug ourselves into… when we pull together to give each other a hand up and out and back into the light.
Every scene in each of his films is worth to watch. If there would be more such personalities like him in Britain, Britain would be really Great. This man personifies for me the term “very British” in the positive way.
I think the interview sums him up very well as a person, 95% full of insight and eloquence and 5% pompous…nobody’s perfect I guess 🤷♂️ if any of today’s celebrities were allowed to talk at length in a free manner like this, I have no doubt we would hear 10 times worse. That doesn’t excuse his attitude, but you can either take it or leave it, he is what he is.
@@salutsalut8272 he isn’t lying. He is saying how beautiful and how naturally talented she was. But she was diva and very hurt inside. She was popping pills and drinking while she thought she was pregnant. These are reports from those closest to her
Sir Laurence Olivier and, I think, Billy Wilder said the same thing. Marilyn's involvement in the acting studio spoiled her natural talent because she became an over-thinker when it comes to her acting.
My understanding is that nervous breakdowns were common after studying with Lee Strasberg. Some actors need to forget their past, not wallow in repeated painful moments.
@@marktyler2068 This, the Method is very toxic because you use your own trauma to act. The other side of the technique, Stanislavski, is the opposite, because you pass through the moment, your emotions come from the text, not yourself. A great example is Morituri, Brando Method, Yul Brynner, Stanislavski. Brando is not very good, the role isn't momentous enough, Brynner is mesmerising because he is "in the moment". Marilyn was a natural Stanislavski performer. She really didn't need to wallow in her trauma.
No training spoils anything. Learning is a process; she just died before she reached the other side of that process. As someone who has taught I can tell you first hand that when you have someone who is a natural, once they learn how to learn they far exceed anyone else. But first they have to learn how to learn, once they get past that phase of the “process” they fly but first there is a total halt before that progression.
@@marktyler2068Stella Adler said of the Method, “When I’m playing a scene where my character learns a loved one has died, I don’t want to relive how I felt when my favourite aunt died. That isn’t acting; that’s schizophrenia.” I don’t think I have the words exactly right, but it was something very much like that.
" In the editing room I had a happier time than I expected. I loved cutting away to Marilyn's reaction shots; no one had such a look if hurt innocence or of unconscious wisdom, and her personality was strong on the screen. She gave a star performance." ---------- Laurence Olivier, ON ACTING, copyright 1986
That's good that Olivier looks upon his time with MM in a much more kindly light in '86. He passed just three years later. Sounds like his opinion has mellowed a great deal about her. In one of his earlier biographies he spoke about MM being a "troublesome b*tch." And was quite dismissive of her.
@@terrihilder8217 That remark is referenced in some biographies of Monroe as being quoted in Arthur Miller's diary, reportedly left open so that she saw the comment. It's probably repeated in Olivier biographies ( I may have seen it in one ) .Here is another quote from Olivier himself, from CONFESSIONS OF AN ACTOR, copyright 1982: " We started off with two days of press conferences. I had said last thing the night before, being already disturbed, that her famous reputation for unpunctuality somewhat belied the strict professionalism that I seemed to discern in the technique supporting her dazzling spontaneity. It sent up a host of question marks about the as yet undiscovered complexities of her psychological makeup."
He's a brilliant actor but he was a misogynist. Olivier wasn't as at home on the screen as all the women actors he knew and loved in his life and that irked him. Marylin had an extraordinary talent that was largely untapped due to bad scripts and shoddy direction in her professional life. Vivien was kept from fully harnessing her film career because Olivier always wanted her by his side in theatre productions (mainly done by him). He was jealous of women with talent.
I think Marilyn was into realism and made her moments real on film. It was much more difficult for her. It was easy for Olivier. Once Dustin Hoffman stayed up all night drinking to prepare for a scene with Sir Laurence. Olivier told him the next day "Dear boy, why don't you just try acting!"
There's something insufferable about Olivier's smug assumptions of superiority that rankles despite his comments being interesting and appreciative of Marilyn's capacity to enchant and captivate people.
@@chriscunningham8807Olivier was a professional who was paid to direct and deliver a film. She was acting unprofessionally due to her personal issues. So he is justified in his comments.
He is correct all his observations on MM--and NOT meanspirited. But he underestimates what he "got" from her in "The Prince and The Showgirl." Although the film itself suffers from a thin script and being inevitably stage bound, she is marvelous, he directed her beautifully. I've always felt it's her best performance.
To me the most interesting thing about her is that no matter how many times they had to do a take, due to forgotten lines, or dissatisfaction, or how late she was to the set, the final product was always fairly magical. Look at the Misfits as the ultimate example. IMO, She gave the finest overall performance during her darkest time. She had severe issues that could not be resolved everyday at 645am. The only thing that cost a guy like SLO was some of his time and money. I do appreciate his honest assessment though.
I know. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon complained bitterly about having to wait for hours on the set of ‘Some Like it Hot’, but she delivered up a brilliant comedic performance. And the gowns she wore in that movie were nothing short of stunning. It’s not often someone can be that beautiful and that funny at the same time. She had a few complaints too about the film-making process during that movie, but she had too much class to complain about it in so public a manner. All the men - and it was only men - who talked condescendingly about her after she was dead prove my theory that men and not women are the worst gossips.
@@margo3367 She also had a miscarriage just before the filming of 'Some Like it Hot' & I believe she got pregnant & miscarried again on the set but you don't hear much about that! At this time the Miller's were running out money & Arthur convinced her to make the film.
@@margo3367I would be annoyed if I had to wait hours on the set, and Marilyn made some rather catty remarks about Tony Curtis as I recall. Clark Gable was smart when he made The Misfits with Marilyn Monroe; he had it written into his contract that he would leave the set at a certain time every evening. I think that enabled Clark to have a good time working with Marilyn.
‘Milton Greene, the man who invented her company’ - he can’t even give her credit for something she actually created. He is condescending, and forgets it was her money and company that funded the whole film. When he says ‘She tried to understand how to be intelligent because she was after all married to Arthur Miller’, as if she was so stupid but tried, like a dog, because she was married to someone ‘smart’. It is cruel, not honest. Turns out Arthur Miller was terribly cruel to her and that is why she had trouble on this film. She did her best. Laurence was awful in the film anyway, the overly fake accent and ego, but its funny how he has no criticism of himself.
I think he was disrespectful to MM and didnt appreciate her brilliance. MM's production company produced the film, Prince and the Showgirl, and she was his boss. Her company paid his salary as director and actor. Sir Olivier, in my opinion, had a problem with that and never respected her. But in the end, when you watch the movie, MM outshines him off the screen. He is wooden, boring and not appealing to watch. He should study MM and take notes. Sorry Olivier, but I call it as I see it.
Eso no tiene que ver con el hecho de que Marilyn fuera irresponsable e irrespetuosa con el tiempo de los demás , tanto el director, productor como el resto del equipo de trabajo merecían respeto .
The fact that he is able to express himself and give his opinion in such a precise way is incredible. What he says about her is his opinion yes but it makes so much sense. She was a model at heart and an actor by occupation.
While I love the story of Marilyn's meeting with Arthur Miller's family, Olivier's general discussion of her is so superciliously patronizing and dismissive I wanted to kick him.
People nowadays don't understand what it means to be a good actor or a sexy woman. Thank you my darling, Laurence Olivier. The greatest actor that has ever graced the stage and the silver screen.
I’m watching the film for the first time and I absolutely love it and I appreciate his comments. He liked her, clearly. I’m glad to see this wasn’t just a hate fest.
@@classiclife7204I agree. Lawrence wasn't vindictive about Marilyn. Olivia was a great actor. Fine performances from him in Marathon Man and Rebecca. How handsome he was in the latter. Very attractive chiselled features. Nice speaking voice.
@@helencampbell2064 I mean, I'm sure he was irritated with her for being late all the time, but "irritated" is not quite the same as hate, the way some overprotective MM fans characterize it. He may have been too dismissive of Method acting, but different country, different generation, different traditions, it was to be expected. All in all, when an entire nation claims you're the most important actor in the country since David Garrick in the 1700s, it's a sign of good character when you're not being insufferable 24/7. Olivier was a good stick, all in all. And if others reading this want to continue to dispute it, well, he suffered a great deal of difficulty with his mentally ill wife, and stayed with her to the end when he could have dumped her off in a sanitarium somewhere and never see her again. I don't think he has anything to prove to you people.
@@classiclife7204 Except he didn't stick with Vivien till the end - he got worn out and just wanted a simple life eventually, and to sleep! He went off with Joan Plowright and Vivien never reconciled herself to his leaving her. She spent her last 7 - 10 years rather a shadow of herself and missing him terribly - she had support, but her great love had finally gone. I don't blame him for leaving, though. She was exhausting, the poor love - her bipolar I taxed her sorely and her tuberculosis finished her off. A tragedy all round, in many ways. I think if it had happened now she would have had today's advances in health care and he might well have stayed :-/
You can definitely see a stark contrast between the actors and actresses of Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Joan Crawford, Irene Dunne, Bette Davis, Gene Tierney against the actors of Monroe’s generation with Monty Clift, Brando, James Dean etc. I love this period because the 1950s really was a bridge to transformation into the new era of filmmaking. And many of the old studio professionals like Olivier and Crawford and Leigh and Davis sort of had to navigate that new world post-studio system. And their commentaries on it are really amazing to behold. You can feel the venom for the so called “method” because they were of a generation where you arrive to the studio, say your lines as written and go home. There was less fluff
I don't know what he means. Surely Marilyn was a glamour model as well as an actress. She posed for Playboy and was photographed naked on numerous other occasions. He can't be suggesting a cat walk profession for Marilyn. Can he! She wasn't a tall slim girl and would have known herself she could never model off the rail clothes for a living. I really don't know what LO is on about. Marilyn was an actress/glamour model. Its common for actresses to be both.
@@helencampbell4900 She didn't "pose for Playboy". Hefner borrowed the images without her permission. And yes, LO CAN be suggesting a catwalk profession for Marilyn. She was a MODEL, first and foremost. Stow the outrage. Marilyn was a fine comedienne before the Strasbergs got their hands on her. By "The Misfits", she could no longer speak: every sentence was a memory of a dead pet or whatever it was that Method actors used to do. She regressed the last 5 years of her life, in terms of acting. And in terms of much else, sadly.
@@classiclife7204 Well yes, Olivier can suggest MM wanted to be a cat walk model but in the end Marilyn was too curvaceous for that profession and you need to be tall. I am sure she would have preferred to be an actress. It's much more of an interesting craft than just constantly changing outfits. Olivier's strikingly beautiful wife (Vivien Leigh) was more like cat walk material but chose to act instead.
@@helencampbell4900 Or, a model who took intimate photos, which she did do. And I frankly question how much Monroe really wanted to act. People who like their jobs tend not to be late all time; it's been my experience that such folks hate their jobs. Hence their tardiness. There is no doubt acting is she had originally wanted, but it's not too much of a stretch to speculate that in the last few years, she was talking herself into it. After all, she had Lee Strasberg eating out of the palm of her hand, and she never took advantage of it.
@@classiclife7204 I agree with you there. People who tend to like their jobs do arrive on time but punctuality is also partly due to being responsible. We are all late sometimes but Marilyn took lateness to a whole new level which put her in a very bad light and I can understand how frustrating this must have been for the crew and the rest of the cast. Whether there was some other reason for it such as being hung over due to sleeping pills, drink or just very late nights...who knows but continuous lateness is a self destructive habit. Poor Marilyn obviously needed help. I still think she wanted to be an actress as opposed to a model. Although acting may be a short life, there is more mileage in the profession than modeling and good acting is a very specialised craft. Modeling clothes is hard work if that's the type of model LO was talking about. It means arriving early for shows, having to constantly change into different outfits at a very fast pace in very sweaty changing areas and always having to re apply make up. I would far rather be an actress. There is always the chance of winning an oscar which would have made me feel appreciated and given me a sense of achievement. Nobody seemed to give a reason why Marilyn was always so late or if anyone tried to help or advise the tragic star with the problem. All they ever go on about was her chronic lateness but what was the real reason for it!
Michael Parkinson, before 'Parkinson', asking one question and letting Laurence Olivier talk. marvellous. Strangely, he could never persuade Olivier to appear on the Parkinson show (I 'm 99%sure!). I wonder why? Did Olivier think he gave too much away in this marvellous interview? (I wish it was all available.)
Olivier is among the minority who really got it right about Marilyn Monroe. She was never really an actress but a personality, her fame really was more about her personal life, marriages, and affairs with the Kennedys. Her death made her more famous over the years and this mythology is built around her. Marilyn always made an effort to have close friendships with photographers, she loved to be photographed, more so than acting and there is a great documentary about a range of photographers who knew Mariyln. Each one of them told a story about how well she knew how to be photographed, what angle, which pose, etc, she literally directed every photoshoot. Robert Mitchum who worked at Lockheed before he was an actor met Marilyn when she was just married to her first husband who also worked at Lockheed. He said she was just a simple very shy girl and acting and being in movies was way over her head. If you go back and look back at Marilyn's original modeling pictures and the transformation she went through with plastic surgery on her face, nose, and hair color, to recreate herself into "Marilyn Monroe", she was just one girl among thousands in Hollywood who managed to get lucky but it was not through her acting abilities but her personality and the relationships she had with very powerful who helped her career.
I think Marilyn Monroe wanted to be a serious actress. I guess she was part of the Hollywood system probably different to classical acting in Britain. Marilyn Monroe had real beauty like a model he talked about her being a model. Elvis Presley had a similar problem being taken seriously as an actor and an intellectual. They are now seen as American icons in some ways but they were people with talent, human beings with feelings. More intelligent than what people probably thought. I'm guessing they both wanted to be famous in some way. They both seemed to have a childlike quality and both died young at home in mysterious circumstances. It sounds like neither got the help they needed. They both had troubled difficult tough childhoods.
@@AndreaElizabeth100I agree with what you are saying here. People wanted them to just be a shell of who they actually where they were both so magnetic and stunning that it was hard for people to look past that. It is very similar to a Rob Lowe. He was so pretty no one took him seriously as an actor. It took many years and much work for people to have respect for RB as an actor and not just see him as a pretty face but that doesn’t diminish the fact that he is a talented actor. Also how can you compare someone like LO who had Shakespearean theater fine training for many years to someone who was pitched as a dumb blonde type by the studios. If MM didn’t have so many emotional issues and lived longer who is to say that she would not have reached the level she sought. I found it ridiculous for him to say that she should have not strived for any intellectually challenging roles.
"Accidental Actress". As RU-vidr Be Kind Rewind said, there's one leading actor giving a good comedic performance in The Prince and the Showgirl and her name is not Laurence Olivier. But he does have an excellent point about method acting. Not that her "little" mind couldn't understand it but anyone who's seen her in Niagara, Gentleman Prefer Blondes et al can see she never needed a bloody method to accomplish magic.
Just based on the interview and not on comments he is said to have made. I find the fact that her refers to her in the diminutive particularly insulting. Referring to her as a little thing is objectifying her.
"A curious little person", "her little head filled with..." , "intellectual things she couldn't cope with", and the little sketch near the end: hardly the gracious assessment people seem to hear, really a performance, a sleazy one.
People exploited her, medicated her and used her badly (which America still does). At least Laurence Olivier (with his velvet voice) understood her, no matter how harsh. As a member of the film industry, if even one of us is late, we're all going to be late, I can understand his comments.
The secret she was so desperately seeking to make her "an actress" she could produce naturally without her even knowing she was doing it which was incredibly sad - it was there the whole time - in spite of her confused traumas with The Method she was just a massive presence the minute they said "action" and it wasn't ONLY because she was so beautiful Her naturalness acted Olivier off the screen in 'The Prince & The Showgirl' He is excellent of course **but you only watch Monroe** all she had to do was show up
The key to being an actor is the penetrating study of human nature, not the twirling and whirling in front of cameras but a deep understanding of what a character would do in a situation. Olivier got this so perfectly. This is why he understood and appreciated Marilyn for what she was. Those long delays were probably Marilyn scared out of her wits to act. Olivier's Richard III and Othello was so masterful. Everyone else portrayed Othello as 'Noble Moor', but Olivier shot the first scene with Othello lounging in a doorway, admiring himself, his vanity overflowing. A man redolent of his sexual charms, victorious from wars, irresistible to women, vain and conceited. He was like a cat purring with smug self satisfaction. This was a different view of Othello. Right from the start, Othello's tragic flaw is magnified and presented - his insecurity about his appearance and position, exemplified by his preening, rich jewelry, and fancy clothes. The insecurity of a Black soldier, in White Venetian society, mixing with noblemen and kings. Deep down, Othello was insecure about being accepted in high ranking White society in that era, where Black slaves were common and there was no equality. He had a White wife. The whole tragedy was centered around that fatal tragic hero flaw and here it was, displayed in full view. Brilliant. When Iago, the evil villain of the piece lied about Othello's wife, Desdemona, cheating on him with a White man, Othello believed him! Even though he knew Desdemona was a very attentive and loving wife, he believed the lies of this man. Why? Because he was insecure and always doubted that a White woman could love him. No one else every portrayed Othello so accurately, going at once to the heart of the issue and cause of the tragedy. Richard the III, was created so imaginatively by Olivier as a character so scheming and manipulative, so memorable with his hunched back, twisted smile, and pathetic limp, you could never imagine anyone else in that role, and actually sympathized with him. I loved him in those roles, and also an early Henry V! You have one of the world's greatest theater actor doing a scene with Marilyn, who could not act, that must have been very sad in a way for Marilyn and such a let down for Olivier. Like getting a tiger to walk on a leash and play gently with the cat.
I never understood why Olivier was held in such high regard. It's probably due to the fact that I'm not drawn to the subject matter of his performances. Also due to the fact that I'm rather simple minded. That being said - your synopsis here has created some intrigue within me and maybe I'll screen some of his performances. Do you identify with his Richard the III.? We are all so seemingly emotionally handicapped it seems.
Laurence didn't say that Marilyn couldn't act. He said that she didn't want to. That's not the same thing. Laurence was a much deeper thinker than most actors. He delivered things with great nuance, such as when he differentiated talent from skill. They're very similar but he understood the subtle but crucial difference between them. Talent is something you're born with. Skill is something you develop. The reason they get mixed up is because skill is rarely developed from scratch. It usually originates as a talent and develops from there so it's difficult to tell where talent ends and skill begins.
She stole the the show and was amazingly not given the props . As it was the first film she had cinematography rights over and she was treated harshly unfairly by hollywood and her co stars . This movie was fabulous she was adorable not the greatest ending beautiful entertaining she wore the same dress the entire movie if you watch this movie you can note or pin point when the loss occured her stomach appears bloated in some cuts .she miscarried during the time they were filming ,miller was writing misfits and they were having issues.he had no respect for her intelligence..i think he could only appreciate the outside beauty he saw on film and he never triied or cared to look beyond her appearance.he went as far as to mock her things she had said to him about privately he took out of text and placed in script .he wrote misfits durring the time she was filming the prince and the showgirl
Never knew Laurence was such a misogynist. She out acted him in Prince and the Showgirl. She was a star just trying to be a good actress, and she was, and he was an actor wanted to be a star. And she held her own with him. No accounting for his rudeness. The only reason anyone watched the movie was Marilyn. That she was troubled was a factor in her lateness and trepidation for getting ready to perform. 11 foster homes growing up. Always taken back to orphanage. What right does he have to criticize her? He’s being a jerk.
🇬🇧 Personally, I believe that Marilyn Monroe was a really good actress. Only brought down by repeatedly having to do retakes, and then the director using the first take. Very cruel to Marilyn. IMO
She was, in fact, extremely talented, as well as vulnerable. And sadly, a woman men sexualized, objectified, infantilized, and patronized, as shown in this interview. In the movie alluded to, she was a thousand times much more believable than Olivier, who came across totally presentational.
Olivier says that Marilyn is a model more than an actress to explain why she doesn't seem more serious about acting and yet he says that she was incredible with giving life to her character. I think Marilyn craved external validation because she couldn't manifest the motivation herself. I think Marilyn could have used proper direction. She always did mention the lack of good people in her life. I think that's what she needed. Olivier didn't get her. He is just superficial and he even insults her intelligence.
@@Mrchair-bk5ns You're absolutely right. She wanted to be guided to become an excellent actress, building on her natural talent. She was committed to it deep in her heart.
Hi, what I think is that the need Marilyn had to show herself, it come from her desperate need of love and attention she had missed. In a way, it is not wrong what Sir Olivier said about her. This does not mean that she was not a good actress, but she was herself and the continuous searching for appreciating, trough acting, had brougth her to a point of no return. I think, at the end of her life, she could not separate the actress from the real person anymore and that had destroied her. This is the difference between her and someone who "acts". It remains that she gave more than herself for something in what she trouthly believed and will be always remembered non only for her beauty. For ever. 🌹
Marilyn acted fine despite feeling miserable and hurt. Masked depression meant few people recognised her deep dspair, gnawing loneliness and silent cries for help. She was a ravishing, tortured, talented and tormented soul, quietly drowning and perpetually seeking an anchor or buoy to cling to in a stormy sea.
Best explanation of Marilyn Monroe ever. She wanted to show herself. Though Marilyn was someone who was in her own way striving for more deep down she knew what made her what she was. Even in her last film that l don't believe she was able to finish above everything else her physical appeal was going to be featured front a center. Every person who carves out a unique niche knows what makes them special. At the end of the day the smart money is always going to be on riding it out as long as you can especially for actresses in Hollywood.
@@l.w.paradis2108 Monroe talked about this herself. She was aware of what her appeal was but she wanted to be taken more seriously. The marriage to Arthur Miller signified this. Monroe talked about these things herself alot. You can disagree even more with Marilyn Monroe herself. .
@@gregoryphillips3969 I read _My Story._ I know what she said. I have an excerpt on my 'fridge, actually. Well, I also write, act, and have _For the Union Dead_ on my 'fridge, in a more prominent place (as well as excerpts from Melville and Mircea Eliade), so don't jump to conclusions.
